An Elect Lady

A sister in my ward that I visit teach was telling me about the movie, Emma Smith: My Story, and offered to let me borrow it so I took her up on her offer.  I'm so glad I did. It is a wonderfully inspiring docudrama about the life of Emma Hale Smith starting in her childhood and progressing through the martyrdom of her husband, the prophet, Joseph Smith Jr. After watching the film--and crying through two-thirds of it--I have a newfound love and respect for this remarkable woman whom the prophet loved so dearly. She went through so much during her life. I do not think we can truly comprehend the depth of her trials and the strength of her faith. I remember as a freshman at BYU, going to a Relief Society Homemaking meeting (now called Home Family and Personal Enrichment) that was a one woman dramatic performance about the life of Emma Smith. An older lady--I don't recall her name--came in costume and then portraying the character of Emma, talked to us about her life. That was probably my first experience with really learning about her. It was a nice performance and the woman did a great job but somehow now that I am a wife and mother, I can relate so much better to this "elect lady." I have long loved and admired the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. but now I feel that I know Emma a little better and I can honestly say that I love and admire her as well.   I would highly recommend this film if you are fortunate enough to be able to get your hands on it.

The End of Something or a New Beginning

Well, for my family it is time to hit the books again. School's back in session. I love the beginning of the school year. It's a time of new beginnings, a time to start fresh--to get into a routine again. True, Summer is at it's end for the most part. There will be no more vacations, no more lazing about the house all day and no more staying up late at night. Before we know it the days will be getting shorter and cooler and the leaves will start to change colors. But instead of feeling depressed about the end of something good I look forward to the beginning of something better. I am excited to set goals for this school year; to make it a wonderful experience for my children and to use my time while they are at school wisely to better myself, my home and my family. So, perhaps it sounds cliche or a bit cheesy, but while the leaves will be falling from the trees in just a couple short months, something green and beautiful and alive is budding in my soul. I am excited for the possibilities.

There is Sunshine in My Soul Today

Ah sunshine, that generous gift from a loving Father in Heaven to remind us of all the blessings we have; to lift, inspire and warm our souls. Especially at this time of year I crave sunshine and blue skies. Winter is almost over and the earth is starting to awaken. There are no buds on the trees yet, but the sunshine returning to the world in increasing frequency brings with it the promise that new life is coming and soon everything will be green and fresh and fragrant. Even if you live where the snow is still three feet deep you can have sunshine too. Read an uplifting book, listen to some cheerful music, play with a child, call a friend, do something kind for a stranger and I guarantee you will feel sunshine in your soul and remember that those blessed rays of sunlight will return. Soon. 

What did you learn?

This is a challenge to spend 10 minutes reading the scriptures with a specific question in mind. Start with a prayer. Ask the Lord for guidance about something you have been struggling with, or more generally to teach you something you need to know. Then spend 10 minutes reading in the scriptures. Share what you learn here if you would like.

Things Will Work Out

“Things will work out. Keep trying. Be believing. Be happy. Don’t get discouraged. Things will work out.” President Gordon B. Hinckley

Life can get pretty discouraging at times. Health problems, financial difficulties, feeling our own frailties and weaknesses as parents or just as human beings in general can all cause us to feel down. Sometimes it seems like there is no respite from all the little trials we have to face, but we can feel the peace. D&C 59:23 says, "But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come."

Everything from broken down cars to bad hair cuts to bursitis and more can weigh on us heavily but I think the key to happiness is two-fold: first, obedience to the commandments of God and second, counting our blessings more than we count our trials. Often when we are doing our best to keep the commandments we find ourselves facing even more trials (we'll call this the "Job Effect"). Job faced some of the hardest trials that anyone could face but yet he remained steadfast in his testimony of Jesus Christ. He recognized that even though he had his family, his health, his friends and even his dignity taken from him that he still had blessings--he still had a testimony of the Savior, of His atonement and resurrection. He still had the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and he had the promise of "eternal life in the world to come."

So often I neglect to count my blessings, but when I take the time to really think about all that I have been endowed with I find myself feeling uplifted and happier despite the trials I have. The broken down cars don't seem so bad and suddenly I am blessed even more with comfort and the assurance that the Lord will take care of us. He won't let us down. He loves us and is aware of my fears and insecurities. He knows that I sometimes feel like a failure as a mother or that I got angry with that person at the store for taking the parking spot I was waiting for, but inspite of my weaknesses He still loves me anyway and wants for me to be happy.

Armed with knowledge of the Lord's love and fortified by gratitude for my blessings, I can keep trying. I become more believing and less discouraged and I know that indeed things will work out.

5 Things I Am Grateful For:
1. Family, Friends, Loved Ones
2. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
3. Beauty--Beautiful writing, music, art. . .
4. Nature--flowers, birds, grass, trees, the moon and stars, the sun and rain, lightning and thunder, animals plants, the wondrous world that we live in
5. A body--a body that works, walks, and functions properly. Even though it may not meet the world's standards of beauty it is miraculous and I am so glad I have it.

What are you grateful for? I challenge you to list 5 things that bless your life.

On Duties

"How necessary it is to cultivate a spirit of joy. It is a psychological truth that the physical acts of reverence and devotion make one feel devout. The courteous gesture increases one's respect for others. To act lovingly is to begin to feel loving, and certainly to act joyfully brings joy to others which in turn makes one feel joyful. I believe we are called to the duty of delight." -Dorothy Day

It's spring. I itch to dig in the earth, to get my hands dirty, to labor for the life of some beautiful or useful plant. To weed. To prune. To nourish. To protect. I hope to help my little seedlings not only live, but thrive. And that's what I want for myself. I want not only to live, but to thrive.

As Dorothy Day points out, we must cultivate joy. I think that means dig for it. Weed around it. Prune it. Nourish it and protect it. Get in there and get our hands dirty in helping it along. Perhaps joy is tied much more closely to work than we ever realized - hard, break a sweat, task by task accomplishment- our duties. Dishes, laundry, dusting, bills... can we find delight in these duties? Can we look at them as acts of loving service for our family? as prayers of gratitude to our Father in Heaven? As we "serve" our home, won't we come to love it all the more? Won't our contentment grow?

The work our mind has to do is no less arduous, even if we won't break a sweat. Dorothy Day's words illuminate one of our mental duties. It is to choose to act. Today we have largley forgotten that the doing precedes the feeling. We must act to sow seeds of reverence, courtesy, love, and joy with faith that they will grow. We must act joyful when we feel the farthest from it and yearn for it the most. If we understood the power of acting, of choosing what it is we long to feel or be, we would already be harvesting delight.

What is Real Beauty?

Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley said:
"We are God's children, and if we ever got that through out heads thoroughly and understood that completely, we would never do a small thing, we would never say a cross word. We would not use bad language. We would not criticize anybody. We would love everyone the way the Savior loves us. 'As I have loved you, love one another.'"
I think that's what true beauty is. It's not the clothes you wear or your hairstyle or having perfectly manicured nails--it's important to take care of ourselves, but that's not what true beauty is. True beauty is realizing we are children of God and acting accordingly.
The world's perception of beauty has become really distorted. (Want to see something interesting? Watch this short film: Evolution.)
The world would have us think that physical beauty is what matters, but it's not. Cleanliness, kindness, gentleness, righteousness--those are what make us beautiful.
Roald Dahl said in his book The Twits, "A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely."
Beauty is as beauty does.

Words to Live By from Elder Robert D. Hales

I spotted this article Ten Axioms to Guide Your Life by Elder Hales when I got my Ensign this month and couldn't wait to read it. Let me just briefly summarize and encourage you to read the whole article. It is really worth the time.
1. Everyone faces obstacles in this life. We can overcome them in one of three ways: Ask for help; Stop and take care of the problem ourselves; or just plow through the mess and hope to come out safely on the other side. All of these are viable options. Using the Atonement in our lives is one of the most effective ways to face obstacles.
2. Pursue goals with all your "heart, might, mind and strength." When we decide on a goal we want to pursue focus on the goal. If we are not working with singleness of purpose and conviction, going half-heartedly from one goal to another we work harder not smarter. We have to decide what we want and go for it!
3. Don't criticize, don't judge others. Don't let differences in personality get in the way of living with compassion.
4. Use the talents with which the Lord has blessed you for His glory and not for the praise or approval of others.
5. Don't be afraid to fail. We can learn things through failure that we couldn't learn any other way.
6. Crossing the finish line in this life is what matters--not how fast we run. The Lord doesn't expect us to run faster than we have strength but He does expect us to endure to the end!
7. "Temporal means 'temporary.' And temporary things cannot bring eternal happiness."
8. In order to learn the Lord's will for us we have to exercise agency and become accountable for our actions.
9. The world is moving farther and farther away from the us. We have to be a light on the hill to our friends and neighbors so that they can reach across that gap and have goodness and light through our righteous examples.
10. "Go to the temple. The endowment is the eternal curriculum. In it we are taught where we came from and why we are here on earth, and we are given the promise of achieving life eternal in the celestial kingdom if we obey the commandments and covenants. "

So there it is in a nutshell. What a blessing it is to belong to the Lord's church. I love the gospel and I am so thankful for it and for the inspired leaders who lead us along the path to eternal life.

Happy New Year

A new year, a new beginning. I love new beginings. They are so full of hope -the hope that is a part of all good things. The hope, of course, is that it's not too late, that we haven't blown it, wasted it, ruined it, or let it slip through our fingers. The hope is that we can start from here and move forward, and not just forward, but upward. The hope is that we can improve, grow, reach a little higher, do a little better, or just hold on a little longer. The hope is that our past mistakes may somehow be erased, forgotten, overcome. The hope, at its very core, is in the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We hope that perhaps God will find our offering acceptable when laid along side the offering of our Redeemer.
I hear hope's song in the ringing in of the new year. I catch its scent on the tender petals of spring. I feel it in the freedom and release of summer. I see it in the fall's crayon colors. I taste it in the first floating flakes of winter's snow. It is in each new month. It comes every Sabbath as I fill my thirsty soul with living waters. And daily it dawns upon me. A new day, a new start, another chance, a step towards where? It is mine to decide. I cannot stop my journey, but I can plot its course. I can get home.

Delectable Chocolate Almond Balls

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. It is very easy and well--delectable. Enjoy!

24 ounces Chocolate bar with almonds (I use 5 of the big 5 ounce Hershey bars with almonds)
12 ounce Tub of whipped topping
Vanilla wafer crumbs
Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. (If you do it in the microwave be careful not to burn the chocolate by stirring often.) Stir in the whipped topping and refrigerate until mixture firms up. Roll about a teaspoon of mixture into a ball (I use a small cookie scoop) and roll ball in vanilla wafer crumbs. Keep refrigerated. So yummy.

Christmas Began with a Baby

I love this quote about the true meaning of Christmas by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. "At the focal point of all human history, a point illuminated by a newstar in the heavens revealed for just such a purpose, probably no othermortal watched--none but a poor young carpenter, a beautifulvirgin mother, and silent stabled animals who had not the power to utterthe sacredness they had seen. Shepherds would soon arrive and later, wisemen from the East. Later yet the memory of that night would bring SantaClaus and Frosty and Rudolph--and all would be welcome. But firstand forever there was just a little family, without toys or trees ortinsel. With a baby--that's how Christmas began."Itis for this baby that we shout in chorus: 'Hark! the herald angels singGlory to the newborn King! . . . Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them secondbirth' (Hymns, no. 209)." 

Perspective

"There are so many problems facing us individually and collectively.Yet I have the simple faith that many, if not all, of them can be put intoproper perspective by Paul's sublime message to the Galatians:'Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I liveby the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me'(Gal. 2:20)." (James E. Faust, "A Christmas with No Presents," Ensign, Dec. 2001, 5-6)

For in His Strength I Can Do All Things - The Grace of Jesus Christ

David A. Bednar teaches us...

“Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

“Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things” (Jacob 4:6–7).

Brothers and sisters, please pay particular attention to the word grace as it is used in the verse I just read. In the Bible Dictionary we learn that the word grace frequently is used in the scriptures to connote a strengthening or enabling power:

“The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

“… It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts” (p. 697).

Thus, the enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement helps us to see and to do and to become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity. I testify and witness that the enabling power of the Savior’s Atonement is real. Without that strengthening power of the Atonement, I could not stand before you this morning.

Can we sense the grace and strengthening power of Christ in the testimony of Ammon? “Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever” (Alma 26:12). Truly, brothers and sisters, in the strength of the Lord we can do and endure and overcome all things.

from In the Strength of the Lord October GC 2004 (emphasis added)

1. Ok First of all, can you imagine the trees, mountains, or waves obeying you? It creates quite a visual image in your mind. It is an amazing illustration of the strength of the faith of these people in Jesus Christ, for this is obviously something that you could not accomplish without God's power. It seems like an exclamation point or special emphasis on the size, power, importance, and strength of their faith in Jesus Christ.
2. Second, the Lord shows us our weaknesses in contrast to His grace, condescension, and power. We have to know our sins in order to partake of His atonement. Our human nature makes it necessary for us to rely on Him. Our sins, weaknesses, and problems can become strengths through Him. Is He showing you where you need to improve? Don't get discouraged by your faults. He wants you to see them in order to lean on Him in overcoming them.
3. Next, grace makes us stronger or enables us to do something. Through the Lord's grace we are better able to do things of which we thought ourselves incapable, or which we even thought impossible. What impossible tasks are facing you in your life right now? He will help. He loves you. His mercy is bountiful.
4. Now, are there good works that you are just too tired to carry on? Are you worn out? Are you too tired to continue in the service you have been asked to give? Does it seem too much? Do not despair. Through your faith and repentance you will receive strength and assistance. Don't try to do it alone. Lean on the Lord.
5. As Elder Bednar says, "Thus, the enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement helps us to see and to do and to become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity."

"Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God."~Joseph Smith

Thanksgiving is just a week away. Here's a favorite Thanksgiving hymn to enjoy:

Prayer of Thanksgiving

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;He chastens and hastens his will to make known;The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,Sing praises to his name: He forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;So from the beginning the fight we were winning;Thou, Lord, wast at our side, All glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,And pray that thou still our defender wilt be.Let thy congregation escape tribulation;Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

(A translation by Theodore Baker: 1851-1934)

"Do not give up if at first you fail... Discouragement is part of that test. Do not give up. That brilliant morning will come" (Boyd K. Packer in Ensign, Nov. 1995, 19-20). Or in other words, "Go baby, go baby, go baby, go! You can do it!"

Our New Blog

We, two sisters, have been discussing how to make the world a better place. We came up with this idea to create a blog that we can use to spread joy and cheer to the world and to share our testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! Our motto is "Hurrah for Israel!" Check back often to see what uplifting insights and ideas we have to share with you!